Black Life 2018

Ongoing

Experience the vitality and range of cultural production in the African diaspora through this exciting, multidisciplinary event series.

 

Read full description

  • Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo

  • Akande X

  • Upcoming
    Films
  • Upcoming
    Events
  • Selected
    Objects
  • Past
    Films
  • Past
    Events

Past Events

  • Saturday, December 15, 7 PM

    Black Life: Akande X

    Writer Akande X shares a multimedia presentation on the intersection of blackness, comedy, the Internet, and politics.

    BAMPFA

    Programmed by Chika Okoye and David Brazil

  • Friday, November 16, 6 PM

    Black Life: Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo

    Branfman-Verissimo presents The Storyteller of the Future Says Welcome!, a performance and talk to help guide us into brightness.

    BAMPFA

    Programmed by Chika Okoye and David Brazil

  • Friday, October 19, 6 PM

    Black Life: Ashara Ekundayo

    Curator, cultural strategist, and organizer Ekundayo presents Riot Babies, a multisensory soundtrack through a political lens of “Loving Blackness.”

    BAMPFA

    Programmed by Chika Okoye and David Brazil

     

  • Saturday, September 29, 6 PM

    CANCELLED: Black Life: Cat Brooks

    Brooks performs Tasha, a compelling examination of the intersection of race, gender, mental health, and policing through the story of one woman who was killed in jail.

    BAMPFA

    Programmed by Chika Okoye and David Brazil

  • Friday, August 17, 6 PM

    Black Life: Brontez Purnell

    Join us for a performance by renowned Oakland dancer, musician, and author Brontez Purnell.

    BAMPFA

    Programmed by Chika Okoye and David Brazil

  • Friday, July 13, 6 PM

    Black Life: Spiritual Technologies Project

    In this lecture-demonstration, Michaela Leslie-Rule, T. Carlis Roberts, and Ron Ragin share from their documentary work in Georgia and South Carolina, which explores the waning black church tradition of lining hymns.

    BAMPFA

    Programmed by Chika Okoye and David Brazil

  • Saturday, July 7, 6 PM

    Black Life: Will Alexander

    Prolific and visionary author and musician Will Alexander joins us from Los Angeles to share his lexically ecstatic work.

    BAMPFA

    Programmed by Chika Okoye and David Brazil

  • Saturday, May 26, 4:30 PM

    Black Life: Tyrone Williams

    Poet Tyrone Williams join us from Cincinnati to read his work.

    BAMPFA

    Programmed by Chika Okoye and David Brazil

  • Saturday, May 26, 6 PM

    Black Life: Benjamin Michel

    Filmmaker Michel offers a presentation exploring the works of African-descended directors, past and present, who challenge the medium through their artistic voices.

    Programmed by Chika Okoye and David Brazil

  • Saturday, April 14, 6 PM

    Black Life: Zoé Samudzi, Ed Ntiri, Malika Crutchfield

    Photographers Samudzi, Ntiri, and Crutchfield talk about their photographic practices, the politics of images, and the changing nature of the medium.

    BAMPFA

    Programmed by Chika Okoye and David Brazil

  • Saturday, March 24, 6 PM

    Black Life: Awon Ohun Omnira

    East Bay choir Awon Ohun Omnira taps into the roots of African faith and culture through old Yoruba songs and the Ring Shout. You are invited to participate in this moving performance.

    BAMPFA

    Programmed by Chika Okoye and David Brazil

  • Saturday, February 24, 7 PM

    Ritual Noise: LEXAGON, Titania Kumeh, Earthbound

    Join us for a three-part performance event of sound and ritual.

     

    BAMPFA

    Programmed by Chika Okoye and David Brazil

  • Saturday, January 27, 6 PM

    Duane Deterville: The Future Blackwards: Afrifuturism and Black Visual Culture

    Artist, writer, and visual culture scholar Duane Deterville discusses "Afrifuturism" (sic)—its history, its manifestations in various media, and how it can be used as a tool for black liberation.

     

    BAMPFA

    Programmed by Chika Okoye and David Brazil